Mom's Chocolate Pudding

This pudding, made with a mix of cocoa powder and semisweet chocolate, was a favorite childhood treat of Food Network test kitchen manager Claudia Sidoti, who says the dessert "makes me remember my mom and all the fun and nostalgia of my childhood in the 1960s and '70s."

Claudia Sidoti and Her Mother

Convenience foods were a novelty to Claudia Sidoti's mother, Nelly (shown here in the 1960s), who moved to the United States from Colombia as a teenager. After sampling store-bought chocolate puddings, she decided to make her
own version from scratch.

Never-Fail Cheese Souffle

Grated extra-sharp cheddar and slices of white Pullman bread are the secret to this no-fail souffle, a recipe from the mother of Food Network Kitchen recipe developer Bob Hoebee. "She loves that you set it up the day before and just bake it on serving day," he says.

Stir-Fried Broccoli in Oyster Sauce

Food Network Kitchen recipe tester Vivian Chan says her mother came up with this simple broccoli dish –– a 20-minute recipe that incorporates ginger, garlic and chiles –– as a way of offering a better alternative to typical takeout.

Vivian Chan and Her Mother

"Fun fact," says Vivian Chan, with her mother, Estella, in the late 1980s: "I think my mother coordinated my outfit to match hers." Thanks to her mother's easy recipe for
stir-fried broccoli, Vivian never orders such dishes from her local takeout place anymore.

Oma's German Potato Salad Recipe

After her grandmother moved to New York City in the 1950s, she stayed true to her German roots in the kitchen, says Food Network Kitchen purchasing assistant Amanda Catrini. For this salad, the potatoes are tossed with cooked onion in a mustard sauce and sprinkled with chopped herbs and bacon.

Amanda Catrini and Her Grandmother

Amanda Catrini and her oma, Annelise, are pictured in the kitchen of the family farmhouse in 2013. In addition to making
potato salad, her grandmother "continues to cook the most-delicious and -authentic German food," Catrini says.

Vietnamese Chicken Salad (Goi Ga)

The secret to this flavorful chicken salad with cabbage, says Food Network Kitchen food stylist Susan Vu, is her mother's nuoc cham (dipping sauce): She would make a thick simple syrup before adding aromatics and fish sauce.

Pasta e Fagioli

A mix of pasta shapes plus white beans, tomato paste and pecorino cheese make up this comforting pasta e fagioli. The recipe also calls for salt pork, which Food Network Kitchen food stylist Vince Camillo remembers his mother using in place of the traditional Italian pancetta.

Sugared Puff-Pastry Tea Cookies

These 20-minute tea cookies are made with just four ingredients: puff pastry, lemon, sugar and an egg white. Food Network Kitchen recipe developer Andrea Albin recalls her mother making the original from leftover dough scraps.

Andrea Albin and Her Mother

Here's a photo of Andrea Albin and her mother, Veronica, taken in the early 1980s. On the left are recipe cards for glace royale and a puff-pastry apple galette –– the original source of the dough used to make
Sugared Puff-Pastry Tea Cookies.

Mom's Cheesecake

The secret to this cheesecake, says Food Network Kitchen executive chef Robert Bleifer, is his mother's use of whipped cream cheese in place of the conventional variety, which she used in defiance of the package instructions.

Robert Bleifer's Mother

Robert Bleifer's mother, Gail, is on the left as a young girl in the 1940s, on her way to a birthday party. "My mom is a terrific cook," Bleifer says. "I always looked forward to big family dinners, not just for seeing relatives but because I knew she would be making the
best cheesecake ever."

Spaghettini with Spicy Seafood

Crushed red pepper flakes give this pasta and shrimp dish its enticing kick. Food Network Kitchen recipe developer Stephen Jackson remembers this as one of his mother's "go-to party dishes," but says it has "the approachability of a quick weeknight meal" as well.

Pork Belly Adobo

"As simple as this recipe is, it always projected the love she put into it," says Food Network Kitchen food stylist Richmond Flores of his mother's pork belly adobo. The Filipino dish calls for marinating the pork in a sweetened soy-garlic marinade and cooking it until tender.